Franklin Matters: In the News: ISO rating improved for Franklin; Bellingham cinema exploring alcohol license

Thursday, February 20, 2020

In the News: ISO rating improved for Franklin; Bellingham cinema exploring alcohol license

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Some homeowners will see their insurance rates decrease this spring when the Franklin Fire Department’s new ISO rating takes effect next month.

Previously holding a Class 3 rating since 2018, Chief James McLaughlin recently announced that the department has improved its ISO rating - also referred to as a “fire score,” or Public Protection Classification (PPC) - to Class 2. Determined by the Insurance Services Office Inc. (ISO), the rating indicates how prepared a department is in the case of fire and how quickly it would be able to put it out, he said.

Ratings are issued on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best. Jersey City, New Jersey-based ISO provides statistical and claims-related information to serve insurers, regulators and other risk managers in the property-casualty insurance market.

Though the audit process to review a department’s ranking takes place every five years, McLaughlin called the ISO to question why the department’s rating was a 3 when he joined the department last July. A few months later, he was informed that its rating was improved upon further review, he said."

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https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200219/franklin-fire-dept-secures-improved-safety-rating

"Franklin’s water supply was a factor in improving the Fire Department’s rating"

"The serving of alcohol and a $6 million renovation could be coming to Bellingham’s Regal Cinema.

The news comes from recently released Bellingham selectmen minutes from the board’s Jan. 21 meeting. Regal Bellingham General Manager Josh Ferriera and attorney Andrew Upton discussed “the possibility of obtaining an All Alcohol Restaurant license,” according to the minutes.

Management at Regal Bellingham, in the Charles River Center shopping plaza near Interstate 495, directed comment to the company’s media inquiries line. Messages left at that number and at Upton’s Boston office and email address were not returned by the Daily News’ deadline.

“Regal in Bellingham is in the process of a $6M update to the cinema and would like to offer the option of purchasing an alcoholic beverage,” the minutes read."